A Yoga and Wellness Program for Breast Cancer Survivors With Persistent Fatigue

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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00727662

Recruitment Status
:
Completed

First Posted
: August 4, 2008

Last Update Posted
: April 14, 2015

Sponsor:

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Information provided by (Responsible Party):

Bower, Julienne, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

A Yoga and Wellness Program for Breast Cancer Survivors With Persistent Fatigue

Official Title ICMJE

Iyengar Yoga for Breast Cancer Survivors With Persistent Fatigue

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled trial will compare the effectiveness of an Iyengar Yoga intervention to a Wellness Seminar health education lecture series, for improvements in energy, mood and biological functioning in breast cancer survivors with persistent, post-treatment fatigue. It is anticipated that the Iyengar Yoga intervention will be feasible and acceptable to breast cancer survivors with minimal side effects and that the Yoga intervention will be effective in improving fatigue and physical performance.

Detailed Description

Fatigue is the most common and distressing side effect of cancer treatment and persists beyond successful treatment completion in approximately 30% of breast cancer survivors, causing serious disruption in quality of life. Behavioral interventions incorporating physical activity or relaxation/stress management have demonstrated beneficial effects on cancer-related fatigue, although research in cancer survivors is limited. Mind-body interventions such as yoga are extremely popular among cancer patients and offer a promising alternative to traditional treatments. Research is needed to establish the feasibility and efficacy of these interventions in cancer populations, particularly those who are experiencing problems with fatigue.

The poses and breathing techniques to be used in this study are based on sequences developed by B.K.S. Iyengar for breast cancer survivors who suffer from fatigue. Women will start with simple versions of the poses and progress to more advanced versions over the course of the intervention.

Other Name: Yoga

Other: Wellness Seminar Series

The Wellness Seminar Series consists of lectures on key topics, followed by group discussion. This series will focus entirely on cancer survivorship, including sessions on quality of life, side effects of cancer treatment, stress, nutrition and psychosocial issues.